Shren Yeager, the owner of the Yeager Insurance Agency, won the John Land Community Impact Award Friday night at the Apopka Area Chamber of Commerce's 2017 Gala event at the Highland Manor. The award is presented to an individual who best demonstrates effective leadership in the community, is active in Chamber functions and civic organizations, upholds traditional community values and makes significant contributions to the Apopka community of time, talent, treasure and/or resources.
Shren Yeager won the 2017 John Land Community Impact Award.
Yeager was honored to receive the award, especially because of its namesake.
I have a great love and appreciation for Mayor John Land," said Yeager. "To even be mentioned in the same sentence as him is humbling."
Previous winners of the award were Apopka Commissioner Doug Bankson, and Dr. John Gammichia. Yeager believes there are many deserving Apopkans.
"My place here on earth is to give back," he said. "My Christian beliefs of tithing and gifting mean that I give back to the community. Apopka is full of people who give back. It's a neat community with lots of charitable people. It was a total surprise to win."
Yeager grew up in Central Florida after his family moved here in 1968. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Building Construction Management from the University Of Florida. Yeager worked many construction jobs, and started as a laborer and then frame carpenter in the summers when he was home from college. He became a residential production building manager when he graduated from UF. He helped start David Weekley Homes in Orlando and built their first models in the early 90’s. He was selected by David Weekley Homes to attend the original builder and architects tour with Disney to assist in the development of homes for the Celebration Project. Yeager eventually started his own custom home building company Distinctive Homes and Development.
But at the age of 36, he made an unexpected and risky transition in his life.
"I came to the conclusion that I needed to change my career to something that was less cyclical and directly tied to the economy and started working in insurance," he said. "I began my career in my father’s State Farm Agency in Apopka at the front desk so that I could learn everything I possibly could about running an agency."
Yeager said he really enjoyed the role of insurance advisor and was honored to be selected by State Farm as the Corporate Life Insurance and Annuity Specialist for Central Florida. From Life Specialist, he was selected for the agency and in 2003 and started a pure growth opportunity in Apopka (that means starting from scratch with no assigned accounts) at the age of 43.
"When the pure growth opportunity became available in Apopka, it was a natural fit for me to interview for this location! I researched Apopka and the surrounding area. The demographics and research showed that Apopka was the 2nd fastest growing city next to Orlando proper, had plenty of available land for residential and commercial development, had the stability of a city government under the leadership of Mayor John Land with a balanced budget and healthy surplus, excellent police and fire departments, great schools, great athletic programs, plenty of green spaces, and a small town atmosphere."
Yeager has been in business for himself a total of 18 years now and 15 with the State Farm agency. He has been a licensed insurance professional for 18 years and has thousands of clients. But despite his success, he continues to look forward.
"I am excited about our future and to see the changes and innovations that will be implemented to better serve our clients," Yeager said. "Now and in the future, all of our lives will involve risks. Insurance and financial services are very complicated and expensive. I believe that everyone needs and deserves competent and caring counsel when making decisions on how to best protect themselves and their loved ones from the risks of everyday lives."
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